I just bought my first focus, an 04 zx3 with 54k on it and a vortech supercharger. I will be picking it up Wednsday and driving about an hour and a half home, so I think that should give me a good feeling for the car. However in just under a month I will be driving about 5.5 - 6 hrs up into the German/Swiss/Austrian Alps and then another 5.5 - 6 back, assuming no hidden issues pop up in the mean time. I will of course be changing my oil, cleaning my air filter and checking my coolant level/condition before hand. What else would you suggest I do in preperation for a long trip? Are there any things that are prone to breakage that I should be aware of?

Also the exhaust is very loud, it has FS longtube race headers and a borla cat-back with no cat. Normally I wouldn't mind the sound too much, but this is going to be 5.5 - 6 hrs of the exhaust drone on the autobahn, It is going to get quite old very quickly I imagine. Any Ideas on a way to quiet it down for the trip, short of putting the factory manifold and converter back on it? If I do end up putting the factory parts back on for the trip, will it mess with the tune very much?

Moved to "ZETEC Performance Chat". I would try adding a resonator in the center channel to muffle some of that sound. I used a 21" long 4" diameter resonator from Magnaflow on mine and it seemed to tone it down quite a bit. But in the end, I went with an SVT header, cat and flex pipe. So now my exhaust note is more subdued.

Thanks, I wasn't really sure where to put a question like that. I'll look into the resonator for now, I dont really want to spend the money for a full exhaust system right before I go on vacation. I'd rather spend that money on vacation right now. I thought about putting the stock manifold and cat back on it, but I dont know how it will effect the tune. I guess I could try it and just watch the A/F ratio to make sure it doesn't go lean.

Doesn't the Vortech have a closed oil system? May want to check the last time that was changed out. Having the resonator installed should not cost all that much 50-60 bucks over the cost of the resonator too get installed. Depends on how much you think getting ride of the drone is worth. Some might say that if it will put you in a better mood on your vacation then it may be worth it.

__________________
2001 ZX3 2.0L Zetec-
Hatch Nation #42

Going through Rebuild See "The TICK Build Thread" for details (http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289168&referrerid=62897)

I believe it has oil line running from the engine to oil it, but thats a good point. I'll check to make sure. I'll look into the resonators, but my problem is the time restraint. since I'm stationed in Germany, shipping can take a while. I'm still waiting on packages that were sent out the week after Thanksgiving. This is why I was considering putting the factory manifold and converter back on.

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